Patients with osteoarthritis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) typically are young and active, which might affect functional ratings or failure rates after resurfacing arthroplasty. We therefore evaluated 24 patients (32 hips; mean age, 44.2 years) after hip resurfacing performed for osteoarthritis secondary to DDH. We used the Harris hip score (HHS), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity scale, and a sports and activity questionnaire. A radiographic analysis also was performed. We followed patients a minimum of 28 months (mean, 43 months; range 28-60 months). The HHS improved from a mean of 54.7 to 97.3 and UCLA activity levels increased from a mean of 5.3 to 8.6. All patients returned to sports activity at a mean of 11 weeks after surface replacement. There were no major differences in preoperative and postoperative participation in the most common sports and activities. Two of the 32 replacements (6%) failed. We detected femoral radiolucencies in 10 of the remaining 30 hips. Despite satisfactory outcomes in clinical scores, return to sports, and hip biomechanics, the failure rate of 6% was disappointing. Additional followup is important to assess if failure rates increase in these young, active patients.
Level of evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.